Tarrant County Redistricting Map Challenges

Tarrant County's Redistricting Map Stands Despite Racial Discrimination Claims

Tarrant County's controversial redistricting has faced legal challenges, with critics alleging racial discrimination and disenfranchisement. Despite two lawsuits, the new map remains in place.

The county commissioners, led by Republicans, pushed for mid-decade redistricting, a move seen in several Texas counties this year. Opponents criticized the Public Interest Legal Foundation for dodging questions about its maps at public meetings.

The new map was challenged twice in court. In both cases, judges declined to block the maps. The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the first decision in Jackson et. al. v. Tarrant County. Critics argued that the map illegally diluted the voting power of Black and brown voters, packing them into a single precinct. However, the judges dismissed claims of disenfranchisement as a natural consequence of redistricting. They acknowledged disproportionate effects on minority voters but found no racial discriminatory intent.

County Judge Tim O'Hare's remarks were dismissed as ordinary partisan politics. The new map was defended as growing the Republican majority on the court, with race not being a factor.

Despite legal challenges and criticism, Tarrant County's new redistricting map stands. While judges acknowledged disproportionate effects on minority voters, they did not find racial discrimination. The mid-decade redistricting process, pushed by Republican commissioners, has been a contentious issue in Texas this year.